Tre Styles is a bright, decent kid trying to stay that way in a violent, drug-ridden neighbourhood. As he and his friends struggle with life, love and career decisions, the heat on the street is rising. A gripping, intelligent and highly moving account of urban survival. Brilliant soundtrack too.

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The makers of "Menace II Society" score again with this hard hitting drama. Young black American Anthony survives the horrors of Vietnam, yet returns to a hostile society and no prospects. But an armoured car full of unmarked bills could be the answer to his problems. Gripping, harrowing and brutal. find out more...

Skint black ex-GI Easy Rawlins is asked to track down a mysterious missing woman with an illicit taste for black men. But two murders later he realises he's way out of his depth and, even worse, he himself has become the hunted. Sultry, smokey thriller set in an authentically recreated 1940's LA. Everything - the performances, Tak Fujimoto's elegant camerawork, the jazz and blues soundtrack, the snappy script - slots neatly into Franklin's overall design. A superbly stylish movie. find out more...

Italians, Koreans and African Americans are struggling to keep a lid on the tensions within their Brooklyn community, but Sal's pizza parlour provides the perfect social hub for the neighbourhood. However, as a sweltering hot day drags slowly on, racial tensions evolve from petty bickering to full scale violence and ... WHY WON'T THAT GUY TURN OFF HIS FREAKIN' RADIO!!!! Excuse me. A controversial but mature film from Spike Lee. Incendiary, compelling and highly recommended.

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Phyllis Dietrichson is trapped in a loveless marriage to a man who inspires in her nothing but contempt, but rather than leave him Phyllis decides to kill him and collect on the insurance policy she's had set up with the help of her lover, and naive partner in crime, insurance salesman Walter Neff. The only flaws in their plan are the company's reluctance to pay out so much, the diligence of Neff's increasingly suspicious colleague, (and his 'little man'), and the exemplary ruthlessness of Ph find out more...

An arrogant bright black Northern homicide detective travelling via a small Mississippi town becomes involved in a murder investigation after a local industrialist is found dead. Engaged in a clash of wills with the local racist cop the two eventually develop a mutual respect. Won Best Picture at 1967 Academy Awards. find out more...

A depiction of the struggle of three siblings (who are 'passing') to survive the mean streets of Manhattan, 'Shadows' was Cassavetes' jazz-scored "improvisational" film exploring interracial friendships and relationships in Beat-Era (1950s) New York City. Made from a script supposedly improvised (it was in fact well rehearsed in a NY studio for weeks before shooting began) by a talented cast, Shadows marks a vital new era in independent filmmaking. find out more...

The fact that this highly successful hip movie attracted attention because the hero, and much of the cast, was black, then a ground-breaking event in American film, shouldn't distract from the fact that it was also a high quality private eye flick with a great music score from Isaac Hayes. With some of the most amazing flared trousers to ever be seen the film now looks a classic period piece. To be watched. find out more...

A liberated, seriously sexy comedy. Refreshing, for once, to see a heroine who's only after "one thing" - and a black heroine at that. Made in black and white, with one colour sequence, this was the startling debut film from black director Spike Lee - who also stars. find out more...

One of the most successful blaxploitation movies of the 70s; Priest decides to sink everything into one big deal, the one that will get him out of the urban-poverty-crime nightmare. Harlem and its people are authentically depicted and both the action sequences and Curtis Mayfield's score are excellent. find out more...